Located
in the middle of the city, the Hong Kong Park is a nice patch
of green among the tall
concrete buildings. Interesting features include a "mushroom
fountain", an aviary, a restaurant, and a tower with
over 150 steps to climb for a view of the surroundings.

If you want a nice photo of the Lippo
Center, this is one place to go.

Near
the entrance linked by the Pacific Place escalators is a pond with
many turtles often seen sunbathing, watching passers-by, and posing
for the ever-present photographers.

Hong
Kong may not have a decent zoo, but the Hong Kong Park has an
aviary that's worth checking out.

Enclosed by a huge net, the birds are free to fly round, watch
the visitors, and choose whoever they want to dive-bomb! Seriously,
it is quite a nice place to watch the birds close-up.

There're
no doors at the entry to the aviary, just curtains to allow you
into the world of the birds. (Left:
entrance of the Hong Kong Park aviary.)

Above: visitors inside the aviary
of Hong Kong Park engrossed in watching all the birds.

And
with the popularity of digital cameras, you'll see photographers
of all kinds, sometimes with some serious lenses, capturing all
the fowl moves.

Among
the residents in the aviary is this Einstein-looking bird, probably
calculating flight paths and the angles of attack to get out of
his prison. Yes, he gets much freedom and there's free food, but
nonetheless it's a cage.

Above: a resident in the Hong Kong
Park aviary enjoying a snack while watching the visitors.

Above: a sandpit with diggers for
children to play with.

If
you have kids, you would want to check out the playground. Unlike
many other parks in Hong Kong, this one has playgrounds for different
ages. And one unusual feature is a sand pit with diggers.

You can get to the park conveniently through the Pacific
Place mall in Admiralty
by some escalators. (Admiralty is a major exchange in the MTR
subway system.) If you would like to get more exercise, you can
walk up Cotton Tree Drive instead.

One thing to note: the park is built on a hill. Hence uphill
walk is required to see everything, but it seems you can either
take the stairs or take the winding paths if you have a stroller
or wheelchair. (2008.12.27)